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Archive for June, 2010

While reading Nurul Idah, I came up ‘wiping the neck’ under the sunan of Wudu. I looked into it’s evidences and found that there is proof for this practice which is prevelant in the Subcontinent and other places.

1 – In the notes on Maraqi Falah, it states under this discussion, “‘Allama Iraqi said, “wiping on the neck is mentioned in the hadith of Wa’il bin Hujur in the description of the Wudu of the Prophet, narrated by al-Bazzar and Tabarani in al-Kabir with a chain that has no problems (is authentic).”

2 – Hafidh Ibn Salah says regarding the saying, “wiping on the neck is safety from the chain (in the hereafter), that this isn’t a saying of the Prophet but is from the sayings of one of the Salaf.” To this Hafidh ibn Hajar in Talkhis says, ‘The saying of some of the Salaf which Ibn Salah mentioned, it’s possible that he intended what Abu ‘Ubayd narrated in Kitab at-Tuhur on the authority of ‘AbdirRahman bin Mahdi on the authority of Mas’udi on the authority of al-Qasim bin ‘AbdirRahman on the authority of Musa bin Talha that he said, “whoever wipes his neck with his head is saved from the chain on the day of judgement. I (Hafid) say, “it’s possible to say even though the narration is Mawquf, it’s grading is that of Raf’ because something like this can’t be said based on one’s own opinion, and because of this it’s a Mursal” (Mawquf is when a Tab’ tabi’ says the Prophet said something, while a Mursal usually is a when a tabi’ says the Prophet said something.)

3 – Hafidh says regarding wiping the neck under Masah al-‘Unuq, “I read portion narrated by Abu al-Husayn bin Faris with his chain, on the authority of Fulayj bin Sulayman on the authority of Nafi’ on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Prophet said, ‘whoever makes wudu and wipes his neck with both his hands will be saved from the chain on the day of judgement”, and said (the author) this is InshAllah an authentic narration, I (Hafidh ibn Hajar) say, “between Ibn Faris and Fulayj is a desert, which needs to be looked at (the whole chain has to be investaged)”. Talkhis

“Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan in Bidur al-Ahillah page 28 writes, “to say the hadith on wiping the neck is not sahih is incorrect, because of the strenghtening of the narrations due to many chains.” Source: Tawdih urdu sharh Mishkat al-Masabih page 570.

Without going into detail of what the ulema have said, I’ll quote few narrations regarding the issue. This is another error of our brethren who are quick to label something as bida’, had they only read.
1 – “It’s reported on the authority of Sayyidina ‘Umar (Allah ta’ala be pleased with him) that he would take the Mushaf every morning, and kiss it”
2 – “Sayyidina Uthman (Allah ta’ala be pleased with him) would kiss the Mushaf and pass it over his face”
3 – Imam Nawawi in Tibyan on page 123 narrates, “we narrate in the Musnad of Imam Darami with an authentic chain on the authority of Ibn Abi Mulayka that he said, “Sayyidina Ikrama bin Abi Jahl would put the Mushaf on his face and say, “My Lord’s Book, My Lord’s Book.”